PLANS to protect land in the centre of town by having it labelled as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) have been rejected by Malvern Hills District Council.
The town’s civic society had submitted an application to make Hayslan Fields an ACV when a project to build houses on the site was thrown out last summer following a two-year process.
But bosses at the Malvern Civic Society have vowed they will appeal the decision made by the district council.
Chairman Clive Hooper said: “In the circumstances, the Civic Society will be lodging a complaint on the grounds that the conclusions reached are not consistent with the requirements of Section 88 of the Localism Act, nor MHDC’s stated views regarding the Fields’ value to the community as amenity land; so therefore the authority has misdirected itself, and its procedure has been flawed.”
The Localism Act 2011 provides for buildings or land to be protected where it can be demonstrated that they are used for furthering the social well-being or social interests of the local community, or have been used to do so in the recent past and could do so in the future.
Once ACV status has been conferred, it means if the ‘asset’ is ever offered for sale, then the community is given the opportunity to make a bid to buy it.
Hayslam Fields are crossed by public footpaths and is often used by dog walkers as well as providing a direct route from Pickersleigh Road to the town centre.
Mr Hooper added: “In the case of Hayslan Fields, this would have meant that more protection could have been given to the land, in addition to that which has been secured through the recent public inquiry and through MHDC’s own designation of the area as having QL2 status (signifying its value to the health and well-being of the community as amenity land) and subsequently in the South Worcestershire Development Plan when the fields were designated Green Space.
“I’m sure the local community will be as disappointed as I am with the rejection of the application.”
The district council though, said the plans submitted by the civic society did not meet the necessary criteria to make the field and ACV.
Phil Merrick, joint head of economy and communities at MHDC, added: “We fully appreciate the Civic Society’s objective of protecting the fields from development but their application unfortunately did not meet the criteria of an asset of community value because the identified area is private property with no evident public permitted access other than the public rights of way.”
